I was recently watching a television commercial for a mineral water pack by Kinley- ‘Vishwas karo‘ and was really moved by the advertisement. The way they had presented the advertisement was all creative and had an emotional attachment to it (an emotional attachment is considered to be the best way to make product’s way into the hearts of the prospective buyers from amongst the audience). Yet one thing that can come under light is that even water has come under the umbrella of being sold.

Bottled water like these are like any other product sold by the developed countries to developing nations. However, it is advisable to use boiled water from home as it helps utilise our resources better and discourages the use of more plastic that is used to package water. Water is not a commodity that is to be sold like any other product.

Sometimes commercialization of everything in our mind overshadows our decision making. We buy it as a status symbol with pre conceived thoughts that if something is sold from a good branded company and is expensive, it has to be good. Other times it is because of our fear. The advertisements and the commercial market have made it very clear in our mind that bottled water is much better for our health as compared to any water.

However, most of the time natural water is far better as it doesn’t become stagnant. We just refuse to think beyond what has been laid before us. Imagine in our India when a day will come when death rate would increase not only as of hunger but also as of their incapability to afford expensive water. The chance to pay for healthy breathable air is stronger in near future.

India is a country of rivers and we cannot be ungrateful to the sources which provide us water to drink. We can bring a change if we take the pledge to bring it. Strategic measures should be taken to preserve this ‘golden asset’ of ours. For this purpose we have to first think about saving water from our home. These are the simple steps that we can start from our own home. Individual efforts will make the difference!

• Use bucket instead of using the shower
• Don’t leave taps dripping
• Wash vegetables in a bowl rather than under a running tap.
• There should be water saving devices installed in homes.
• Rain water can be stored and used for irrigation or there can be a provision of sending it back to earth.
• Don’t run the tap while washing face or cleaning teeth.
• Waste water recycling and watershed management solutions
• Saving rivers by not polluting them and planting more trees.

Are we really required to pay for basics of life like water? All I would like to sat is ‘It is better to be a part of solution rather than a problem.’